Kevin Love Trade Rumors: Exec Says Cavs PF Doesn't Have 'A Lot of Value'

The Cleveland Cavaliers apparently aren't negotiating from a position of strength when it comes to a possible Kevin Love trade.

The Athletic's David Aldridge spoke to a Western Conference executive who said he "[didn't] think Kevin has a lot of value," citing Love's contract and general injury history. The executive speculated the Cavs might have to include a first-round pick or multiple seconds to get a deal done.

Love will make about $91.5 million over the next three years.

Offensively, the 31-year-old remains a positive on the floor. He's averaging 17.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Love's defense is another story, though, which is an obvious concern for teams with playoff aspirations. Opposing coaches would look to attack the 6'8" forward throughout a postseason series and have ample time to draw up a game plan that does exactly that.

Love has also missed 105 combined games over the past three seasons. The state of his back is such that he's guaranteed to take off a game or two here and there.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in December the Cavs were ready to engage in trade discussions surrounding their best player, and based how things have unfolded recently, Cleveland would probably have moved him by now.

The Athletic's Shams Charania and Joe Vardon reported Love "had an emotional verbal outburst directed toward general manager Koby Altman" after a team shootaround earlier this month and vented his general frustration with the state of the team.

Love then showed his visible displeasure with head coach John Beilein in the Cavs' 121-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 4.

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Beilein took the blame for the incident, and the saga has largely died down. Still, the symbolism of the moment was impossible to ignore and may have eroded Cleveland's leverage further.

Having said that, Altman may not have to trade Love for pennies on the dollar if he's willing to hold firm on his demands. This year's free-agent class is pretty thin, especially since Brandon Ingram is a restricted free agent and Anthony Davis will likely return to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

For teams looking to strengthen their frontcourt, acquiring Love may be the best option on the table despite all of the aforementioned questions as to his value.

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Sam Amick, Senior NBA writer for The Athletic, joins The Full 48 to discuss top team moves before the trade deadline, Teams in most need of deals, players that may move, and All Star Game ballot selections.